Distributing Address Resolution Messages

1. A method for configuring a network interface with a virtual internet protocol address, the method comprising: transmitting an address resolution message including, as a destination internet protocol address, a virtual internet protocol address, wherein a network device, upon receiving the address resolution message, determines that the address resolution message is an address resolution probe message and retransmits the address resolution message to another device regardless of whether a binding for the virtual internet protocol address is stored in a bindings table accessible to the network device; determining whether an address resolution reply message has been received, the address resolution reply message including, as a source internet protocol address, the virtual internet protocol address; in response to determining that the address resolution reply message has not been received, determining whether a period of time has elapsed since the address resolution message was transmitted, wherein the period of time is shorter than a period of time for which the binding for the virtual internet protocol address stored in the bindings table is valid; and in response to determining that the period of time has elapsed, configuring a network interface with the virtual internet protocol address.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the configuring the network interface with the virtual internet protocol address comprises configuring the network interface with the virtual internet protocol address while the binding for the virtual internet protocol address stored in the bindings table is valid.

3. A system for configuring a network interface with a virtual internet protocol address, the system comprising: a network interface configured to transmit an address resolution message including, as a destination internet protocol address, a virtual internet protocol address, wherein a network device, upon receiving the address resolution message, determines that the address resolution message is an address resolution probe message and retransmits the address resolution message to another device regardless of whether a binding for the virtual internet protocol address is stored in a bindings table accessible to the network device; and control circuitry configured to: determine whether an address resolution reply message has been received, the address resolution reply message including, as a source internet protocol address, the virtual internet protocol address; in response to determining that the address resolution reply message has not been received, determine whether a period of time has elapsed since the address resolution message was transmitted, wherein the period of time is shorter than a period of time for which the binding for the virtual internet protocol address stored in the bindings table is valid; and in response to determining that the period of time has elapsed, configure the network interface with the virtual internet protocol address.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to configure the network interface with the virtual internet protocol address by configuring the network interface with the virtual internet protocol address while the binding for the virtual internet protocol address stored in the bindings table is valid.

5. A method for handling an address resolution probe, the method comprising: receiving, at a first device on a network, an address resolution message from a second device on the network; determining whether the address resolution message is an address resolution probe message; in response to determining that the address resolution message is an address resolution probe message, transmitting the address resolution message to a third device on the network regardless of whether a binding for a destination internet protocol (IP) address included in the address resolution message is stored in a bindings table accessible to the first device; and in response to determining that an address resolution reply message has not been received from the third device, determining whether a period of time has elapsed since the address resolution message was transmitted to the third device, wherein the period of time is shorter than a period of time for which the binding for the virtual internet protocol address stored in the bindings table is valid.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein determining whether the address resolution message is an address resolution probe message comprises determining that a data entry in a predetermined field of the address resolution message corresponds to a predetermined value.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein determining that the data entry in the predetermined field of the address resolution message corresponds to the predetermined value comprises determining that the data entry is all-zero.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein determining whether the address resolution message is an address resolution probe message comprises determining whether a source IP address included in the address resolution message is all-zero.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising, in response to determining that the source IP address is all-zero, refraining from searching for a binding for the destination IP address in the bindings table.

10. The method of claim 5 , further comprising: receiving a message including a binding of the destination IP address to a source media access control (MAC) address included in the address resolution message; and adding the binding included in the message to the bindings table accessible to the first device.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the received message comprises a gratuitous message from the second device to convey an IP address-to-MAC address binding.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the received message comprises at least one of a gratuitous address resolution protocol (ARP) reply message, a gratuitous ARP request message, or an unsolicited neighbor advertisement message.

13. The method of claim 5 , wherein the address resolution message comprises at least one of an ARP request message in an ARP probe format or a neighbor discovery protocol (NDP) neighbor solicitation message in a NDP neighbor solicitation probe format.

14. The method of claim 5 , wherein the bindings table comprises at least one of an ARP bindings table or a NDP bindings table.

15. A system for handling an address resolution probe, the system comprising: a network interface of a first device on a network, the network interface configured to receive an address resolution message from a second device on the network; and control circuitry configured to: determine whether the address resolution message is an address resolution probe message; in response to determining that the address resolution message is an address resolution probe message, transmit the address resolution message to a third device on the network regardless of whether a binding for a destination internet protocol (IP) address included in the address resolution message is stored in a bindings table accessible to the first device; and in response to determining that an address resolution reply message has not been received from the third device, determine whether a period of time has elapsed since the address resolution message was transmitted to the third device, wherein the period of time is shorter than a period of time for which the binding for the virtual internet protocol address stored in the bindings table is valid.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine whether the address resolution message is an address resolution probe message by determining that a data entry in a predetermined field of the address resolution message corresponds to a predetermined value.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine that the data entry in the predetermined field of the address resolution message corresponds to the predetermined value by determining that the data entry is all-zero.

18. The system of claim 15 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine whether the address resolution message is an address resolution probe message by determining whether a source IP address included in the address resolution message is all-zero.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to, in response to determining that the source IP address is all-zero, refrain from searching for a binding for the destination IP address in the bindings table.

20. The system of claim 15 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to: receive a message including a binding of the destination IP address to a source media access control (MAC) address included in the address resolution message; and add the binding included in the message to the bindings table accessible to the first device.

21. The system of claim 20 , wherein the received message comprises a gratuitous message from the second device to convey an IP address-to-MAC address binding.

22. The system of claim 20 , wherein the received message comprises at least one of a gratuitous address resolution protocol (ARP) reply message, a gratuitous ARP request message, or an unsolicited neighbor advertisement message.

23. The system of claim 15 , wherein the address resolution message comprises at least one of an ARP request message in an ARP probe format or a neighbor discovery protocol (NDP) neighbor solicitation message in a NDP neighbor solicitation probe format.

24. The system of claim 15 , wherein the bindings table comprises at least one of an ARP bindings table or a NDP bindings table.